Do Opposites Attract?
Do opposites attract?
Peter is an empathetic extrovert. He is patient and laid back (typical anesthesiologist...?). He is the first to wake in the mornings and is willing to try anything once.
I am a stoic introvert. I am super detailed oriented and generally prefer things safe and stable (like my ORs ). I love "me time" at night when everyone else is asleep.
While I don't necessarily think opposites attract, I do think we challenge and complement each other. It's not always smooth, but it sure keeps things interesting and balanced.
Feel the Fear and do it anyway
I don't know about you, but this quote resonates with me. It’s exactly how I felt starting medical school , getting married , starting my first job, having kids , starting my business, diving into navigating this pandemic (homeschooling, what)...etc.
Did I always feel 100% prepared? Nope. Was everything perfectly set and ready...? NEVER.
But I had faith I could figure it out. Maybe I had done something kinda similar in the past, or I saw someone else do it and thought to myself, "If he/she can do it, so can I." At the very least, I’m a pretty good learner...
Ultimately, I knew, if I waited until I was 100% ready, I would be waiting the rest of my life...
What are YOU waiting for?
How I Control “MASKNE”
(read to the bottom for a GIVEAWAY!)
Did you know that June is acne awareness month? With masks becoming universal, you might be more fondly calling it "MASKNE." 😷 This occurs because of the heat, sweat, and bacteria getting trapped underneath your mask, in addition to irritation and rubbing on the skin.
Ways to reduce your "maskne":
- Wash your face before donning your mask 🧖🏼♀️ and avoid make-up underneath - this will reduce the oil, sweat, and bacteria buildup
- Use a good moisturizer - especially in the areas that the mask rubs
- Only wear clean masks - do not reuse dirty disposable ones and make sure you wash your reusable ones regularly, ideally with fragrance free detergent. Natural materials like cotton breathe best.
- Avoid harsh products (like retinol or benzoyl peroxide) - this might make any irritation worse, so proceed with caution
One of my favorite ways to combat maskne and breakouts (from quarantine snacking 😁), has been using Rodan+Fields UNBLEMISH Clarifying Mask every few nights. A 2020 New Beauty award winner, this luxurious sulfur mask has been clinically shown to reduce excess oil, calm skin, decongest pores, and reduce blemishes over time. I am giving away a tub of this amazing mask as well as the cutest (and sold out) Alice+Olivia mask.
Head over to my Instagram @vickichanmd or Facebook Vicki Chan Kim for Giveaway details! Good luck!!!
Making a living vs A life worth living
This has been my husband's motto from Day 1.
Back when we were in medical school and studying for exams, he would suddenly sit up and say things like, "Wouldn't it be fun to own a restaurant?" or “How about this for a fun new invention?” What?! Given that we were both poor, in debt students, I would remind him not to quit his day job anytime soon.
"But wouldn't it be FUN?!" he would press.
Fast forward almost 20 years, and I admit, he was on to something. Because it's not just about making a living, but making a life WORTH living. And for us, that indeed includes FUN, love, giving, and the freedoms to make choices in our lives.
COVID Confessions
“What’s the big deal? Why can’t we all just go back to normal? Only COVID+ patients need to shelter and wear a mask. That’s not me!”
As a physician 👩🏻⚕️, noncompliance is something I deal with and talk about every day. We are all human, which means forgetting medications, missing appointments, or not following health recommendations (like diet and exercising) is to be expected. In fact, according to studies, up to 60% of my ophthalmology patients do not take their prescribed eye drops properly! 👀
So when my colleagues began asking their COVID+ patients 🦠 about their exposures and how they have been isolating, I was not too entirely shocked at some of their answers (though still very shocking, read for yourself. these are not my patients, but a sample taken from an anonymous publication)
This is why we must insist EVERYONE mask. 😷 And why social distancing is still very VERY relevant. COVID numbers are climbing across the country as shelter-in-place relaxes and businesses reopen. As annoying and burdensome as some of these rules and mandates are, they are for YOUR safety. (And in case you forget to be compliant if you get sick... 🤒)
“How much do you make?”
I was recently asked how much I make as a physician 👩🏻⚕️ (these kids on Tiktok are quite straightforward, I love it. 😂)
So here's the thing, as a part time per diem ophthalmologist in Los Angeles, my numbers are not typical. You can easily google 💻 average doctor's salaries by subspecialty (for ophthalmology, it’s $200K/year in California), but you might notice that the numbers range widely depending on the graph 📊 or website you find (the graph below is from Medscape, and they report ophthalmologists make close to $400K! That’s definitely not me).
This discrepancy is because pay is not only based on subspecialty - but on type of institution 🏥 (academic vs private private), type of job (salaried vs incentivized, full time vs part time), and location 🗺(it can vary by/within state and even city).
We also cannot forget to factor in the debt that physicians accrue 🏦 (200K on average), not to mention the years of schooling and lost income 💸 (some calculate up to 800K!). 😳
In the end, I advised the premed-hopeful not to worry about salary, because it can be variable and could be vastly different by the time he/she graduates. The only reason someone should pursue medicine is for the deep down passion and/or purpose, because those are the only things that will get you through the decade+ of studying, long nights, and sacrifice.
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2020-compensation-overview-6012684#5